Hackathon resources

Teams: Participants can form teams of 4 to 6 members.

Project Scope: Teams can work on any project within the given theme, TECH ZERO.

Time Limit: Hackathon work will run from 11am on the 1st July, to 3pm on the 2nd.

The use of pre-existing code or projects is not allowed, except for open-source libraries or frameworks.

Code Ownership: All code developed during the Hackathon should be the original work of the team. Use of code libraries etc. is allowed, subject to appropriate licensing. Participants cannot use code or assets created by someone else without proper permissions or licenses.

Collaboration: Teams are encouraged to collaborate and seek help from volunteers or organisers. You can help people out here and there on small queries from other teams, but extensive cross-team collaboration is not allowed.

Presentation: Each team will present their project to the judging panel. The presentation should clearly demonstrate the WHAT, WHY, and HOW of the project, as well as any unique or innovative aspects.

Judging Criteria: The judging criteria for the Hackathon will be shared before the event. The judges’ decision based on the performance of the team will be final.

Fair Play: Participants must adhere to ethical standards and abide by the rules and regulations set by the organisers. Any form of cheating, plagiarism, or unfair practices will result in immediate disqualification.

Intellectual Property: Material created during the hackathon must be published as an open source project for judging, promotional, and/or showcase purposes. After the Hackathon, participants will retain full ownership of the intellectual property rights to their projects.

Code Sharing: Participants are encouraged to share their code and projects with the wider community after the Hackathon. Open sourcing or publishing the code on platforms like GitHub is appreciated.

Code Submission: Teams must submit their code and project documentation before 3pm on the 2nd of July. Late submissions are disqualified and may only be accepted at the discretion of the judges.

Use of AI: Over-reliance on AI to generate the bulk of a project is discouraged. We encourage the judicious use of AI, for example, GitHub CoPilot.

Code of Conduct: Participants should adhere to a code of conduct that promotes inclusivity, respect, and professionalism. Any form of harassment, discrimination, or inappropriate behaviour will not be tolerated.

Prizes and Awards: The Hackathon will offer prizes or awards to winning teams based on the judging criteria. The prizes include a £20k development grant, mentorship opportunities, an EV experience day, and merch vouchers. There will be four prizes - Best Overall, Runner-up, Most Technically Interesting, and Most Ambitious.

Disputes and Arbitration: In case of any disputes or concerns, the decision of the organisers and judging panel will be final. Disputes raised after the Hackathon regarding projects must be resolved by the participants.

Liability: The organisers of the Hackathon hold no liability for any damages, losses, or injuries incurred during the event. Participants are responsible for their own safety, equipment, and actions.

Changes to the Rules: Organisers reserve the right to make changes to the Hackathon rules, format, or prizes at any time. Any modifications will be communicated to the participants in a clear and timely manner.

Consent and Media Release: Participants may be required to provide consent for their photographs, videos, or project details to be used by the organisers for promotional or media purposes.

Collaboration

• Clearly a good split of skills and working to strengths of team members and companies.

• An engaged and active team

Innovation

• A novel idea that really 'thinks outside the box'.

• Pulling together one or more work streams in a really novel way.

• New stuff!

Implementation

• Great idea with actual working stuff to show

• Demo-able

Make-the-world-betterfication

• The solution: makes the world a greener place; mitigates climate change; moves the dial on carbon emissions (downwards please!); solves a tech industry problem; contributes to meeting the SDGs; makes it easier for people and companies to take climate action

• Tackles a real issue related to the theme TECH ZERO and addresses it in an innovative way

• You can really get behind the problem and solution and feel that it has solved something not insignificant

• You get a feeling that you would want this to be continued as an actual piece of work

Presentation

• Well thought out presentation that communicates the WHAT, WHY, HOW of the issue they’re tackling and their solution

• Fun and engaging delivery!

The judging criteria for the Hackathon will be shared before the event.

There will be four prizes - Best Overall, Runner-up, Most Technically Interesting, and Most Ambitious. The judges' decision based on the performance of the team will be final.

We are committed to making the TechZero Hackathon an inclusive and welcoming event.

Sadly, technology events have a notorious reputation for harassment. We've set these ground rules to make it abundantly clear that this kind of behaviour is not acceptable, so that everyone can feel comfortable attending. Everybody is required to abide by this code of conduct at the event and on any online channels.

The rules

We do not tolerate abuse, harassment, or discriminatory behaviour of any form. Specifically:

• Do not engage in homophobic, biphobic, racist, transphobic, ableist, sexist, or otherwise prejudiced behaviour.

• Do not harass people. Harassment includes stalking, unconsented physical contact, threatening behaviour, and unwanted sexual attention. Dressing or acting in a certain way is not consent.

• Everyone's personal space is their own. If you are asked to leave someone alone, or to leave their village, you must respect this.

• People may not want to be filmed or photographed. Respect their wishes when taking photos. Do not publish identifiable images of people without their consent.

• Sexualised language and imagery is not appropriate in public, or in sessions which do not deal directly with such topics.

• Aggression and elitism are not welcome — do not belittle people for their knowledge or experience.

Reporting an incident

If you are being harassed or witness a breach of this code of conduct, you can get in touch with us by:

• Sending us an email at

• Finding a member of event staff (they'll be clearly identifiable) and let them know. All our volunteer staff will be briefed on how to handle reports.

Our response

During the event we aim to reach a decision on conduct issues whilst the hackathon is ongoing. Outside of events, we will initially respond within one week.

All reports will be taken seriously and will be considered in confidence.

If we believe you have violated this code of conduct, we will normally issue you with a warning, with which you are expected to comply. If your behaviour continues, we may eject you from the event and ban you from any online channels.

Serious breaches, including sexual or physical assault, will result in your immediate ejection from the event. We may involve the police if the victim wishes.

Remixed from the EMF Code of Conduct and licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.